Getting Back to Reality
by YappiChick
Summary: Set during The Real World.  Elizabeth doesn't give up on the idea of Atlantis that easily.


Title: Getting Back to Reality  
Author: YappiChick  
Email: Spoilers: Everything up to The Real World  
Author's Note: It always bothered me that Weir would so easily give up the fight that Atlantis was real. This little tale falls during the episode "The Real World" between the scenes of her returning home with her mother and seeing Jack, urging her to go back to work for the UN. Enjoy!

Elizabeth closed the door with a sigh. It was good seeing her mother; it had been months since the Daedalus last took her to Earth. Seeing a familiar face in a world that didn't know her, the real her, was frightening. 

However, she had more pressing issues to contend with, such as, why was everyone denying the existence of the Stargate program?

There was absolutely no way she was about to blindly believe that the past two years of her life was nothing more than an elaborate scenario that her mind conceived to hide behind the pain of Simon's death. She had gone through much more trauma during her time in the Pegasus galaxy and she suffered no breakdown then. 

Once she was sure her mother was not going to return, she began looking through her house. It was exactly how she left it before stepping through the Gate two years ago. A picture of Simon caught her eye. Gently, she caressed his face. Losing Simon was one of the hardest things she had to deal with when she went to Atlantis. 

She walked upstairs to her bedroom and picked up a pillow. Even it smelled the same, the comforting, warm smell of sleep. Walking into the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. "I am Elizabeth Weir, leader of the Atlantis expedition," she said with conviction.

That being said, she made her way downstairs and turned on her computer. Now she could find the people that she needed to talk to without being under the watchful eye of the doctor in the psych ward. Settling at her desk, Elizabeth Weir started to come up with a strategy to get her back to where she belonged, in the Pegasus galaxy.

The next day, she was ready to begin her plan. First on her list was to get in contact with John and Rodney. Since John, being in Antarctica, would be the most difficult to contact, she thought she should get the plan to meet him set into motion. At best, she assumed, she could meet with him within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, she could meet with Rodney.

She could only hope that General O'Neill didn't broadcast her recent breakdown to anyone. If he had, then her plan would never work. She opened the top desk drawer and found her book with all of her contacts. Forcing herself to be calm, she dialed the number in the phonebook. "Yes, I need to speak with General Landry. This is Doctor Elizabeth Weir from the U.N.," she said after a woman picked up the phone.

Within seconds, Landry's familiar voice came through the line. "Doctor Weir, what can I do for you today?"

"Good morning, General," she greeted, hoping she sounded normal. To her, the sound of her heartbeat was so loud, it made it difficult to hear the general. "I was hoping you could help me out. I need to arrange a meeting with Lt. Colonel John Sheppard."

"Sheppard?" He sounded surprised. "What would a person of your statute want doing with a person like him?"

Well, she thought, at least John wasn't the poster boy for the Air Force here either. It made her feel a little closer to home. "I would love to get into the details, sir, but needless to say in my line of work I can't always give away all my secrets. Let's just say, I hope after talking with him, I hope to get everything back on track."

"You really think he can help you out with the treaty that much?" he asked after a few seconds' pause.

No, I'm hoping to talk to him and figure out what is going on, what is happening with Atlantis and why is everyone acting like this, she thought. Out loud, she lied, "Yes, I think the treaty negations would benefit greatly if I were able to speak with him."

"All right," he agreed hesitantly. "I'll tell Bolling Air Force Base to expect you at 1200 hours."

"Bolling? I thought he was stationed in McMurdo."

"He was. That was until General O'Neill made a plea on his behalf. Saved Sheppard's ass from being frozen off in that winter wasteland. Now if you would excuse me, I have some calls to make, Doctor Weir." With that, the line was disconnected.

Elizabeth hung up the phone with a frown. Her intention to see Rodney first was ruined. Glancing at the clock, she pushed her concerns aside. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. If John really didn't remember Atlantis then it would be up to Rodney to come up with a solution. If there was anyone she trusted to come up with an impossible solution, it was him.

Bolling Air Force Base  
1200 hours

Her military escort walked into the mess hall. She felt herself relax when she saw the familiar smile of John from across the room. She could do this, she thought to herself. "Thank you," Elizabeth said to the officer as she walked towards Sheppard. Taking his cue, the soldier remained standing by the door.

As she approached the table, her stomach dropped. He wasn't alone. That wasn't a reason for concern, but it was whom he was with that caused her to panic. "So, anyway, Sumner comes to me holding his pink boxers asking me if I had anything to do with it," she heard John saying.

"Did you?" asked the familiar, slightly exotic voice.

"I'm telling you, Teyla. If someone accidentally dropped a red inkpad into the Colonel's laundry, I would know nothing about that," he answered with feigned innocence.

"Actually, I think it was a box of red Sharpies," Ronan rumbled.

Elizabeth stopped momentarily about twenty feet away. How in the world, no, the universe, were Teyla and Ronan here? They weren't even from this galaxy, right? She thought with a morsel of doubt. Things were blurring together, thanks to the medication she was taking. 

Teyla's voice cut into her thoughts. "You two are like naughty boys. I would expect more from each of you, especially you, Colonel."

Sheppard leaned forward. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jo--" He looked up noticing Elizabeth. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Elizabeth Weir," she said, looking into his eyes. She prayed that there would be some flicker of recognition.

Nothing.

"Right, General Landry said you would be coming." He gestured for her to take a seat. "These are Majors Teyla Emmagan and Ronan Dex. So, how can I help the UN today, Dr. Weir?"

She looked at the two "majors" before sitting down. They looked at her expectantly, one with a kind inquiring look, the other with more than a little contempt. Like on Atlantis, both of them seemed eager to defend their leader if they sensed something awry. She didn't think she could handle a three against one battle. "Actually, Colonel, I was hoping that we could speak alone."

As expected, Ronan lurched slightly forward in his chair, ready to jump up, if the situation called for it. Teyla's eyebrow went up, intrigued by her request. Sheppard put his hand up. "For Pete's sake, Ronan, sit down. She's just trying to do her job."

Ronan leaned back, grudgingly. "So am I."

Sheppard smiled at her sympathetically. "Sorry about that. Ronan sometimes forgets I'm not always the damsel in distress that he thinks me to be. But, back on topic, my people stay with me, Dr. Weir. It's the one way I can make sure they stay out of trouble, especially him," he said, referring to Ronan.

Seeing that she was not going to win the battle, she continued forward in the conversation. "All right, Colonel. What do you know about the Stargate Program?"

He thought for a moment before shrugging. "I haven't heard of it." He looked at the other two who shook their heads. "Are you sure that I have security clearance to hear what you are talking about? I don't need to give Sumner another reason to hate me."

He was lying, she knew it. Over the past three years, she had developed a sense for when Sheppard was being less than honest and this was one of those times. 

"John, I know you know what I'm talking about. You're a horrible liar." John pressed his lips together. If she wasn't careful, she would blow this opportunity. Elizabeth knew she had crossed a line. "I'm apologize, Colonel, it's just...You have to remember."

He brushed off her apology. "Doctor Weir, the only thing I know about the Stargate Program is that it is something your mind created." His voice softened at her look of shock. "General O'Neill contacted me this morning after he heard you arranged a meeting with me. He told me about your...accident."

"I swear to you, John, I didn't make this up. You, me, Ronan and Teyla...we all live on Atlantis." She gestured to the two across the table. "They aren't even from Earth!"

Ronan and Sheppard exchanged a glance. She could tell that they were trying not to laugh at her. "I can assure you, Dr. Weir, that we are as American as you," answered Teyla calmly.

Elizabeth heard footsteps approaching. She wondered if her escort was there to take her away. "Colonel, Majors, mind if I join you?" There was something about the voice that was familiar. Like a hearing a friend's voice after years of being away.

John looked at Elizabeth. "Sure, Lieutenant, we were just finishing this conversation."

A bell went off in her mind. Suddenly she knew whose voice that was. Sure enough, Aiden Ford sat next to her. "Good morning, Ma'am," he greeted kindly.

"No no no, this is all wrong," she said as she got up quickly. What kind of cosmic joke was this?

Before she could reach the door, someone grabbed her arm. It was John. "Listen, Dr. Weir, I wouldn't go around asking people about this Stargate Program. There are a lot of people, like General O'Neill that respect the hell out of you. It would be a shame if you threw all that away."

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked with tears in her eyes. 

He looked away, not wanting to give her an answer.

She smiled sadly. "Good afternoon, Colonel," she said, and walked out of the mess hall.

That night she walked into her house, feeling defeated. Entering the bathroom, she popped the prescribed pills into her mouth. After dry swallowing them, she studied herself in the mirror. "I am Elizabeth Weir, leader of the Atlantis expedition." Even to her own ears, she didn't sound so sure of herself. 

The next morning, she was debating whether or not to find Rodney. There was part of her that didn't want to see her friend; if he didn't know what she was talking about, then she had no one else to turn to. But the majority of her, the stronger part of her, wouldn't give up. She would get back home.

Hours later, she drove up to Rodney's apartment complex. She had only been there once before, during their first trip back to Earth. Knowing that despite the fact it was a Saturday, there was a chance Rodney wouldn't be at home, but rather in a lab working on some equation that she couldn't begin to understand.

She knocked on the door loudly. A couple of seconds passed before Rodney answered the door. "I am so glad you are here," she said, relieved.

He smiled impatiently. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm a popular guy. No, I'm not interested in what you are selling. Good bye." He began closing the door.

"Rodney, please, I need your help," she said pleadingly.

He studied her for a second. "What do you need?" he asked.

"I need your help. Tell me, what do you know about the Stargate program?"

Intrigued, he allowed her inside his home. Two hours later, Elizabeth finished telling Rodney a condensed version of the past two years. Like Sheppard, he had no recollection of leaving the galaxy, but was interested enough to let her tell her story.

"So like I told, Dr. Fletcher, the last thing I remember is sitting at my desk in Atlantis." When she saw his disbelief, she smiled self-consciously. "It sounds pretty out there, huh?"

He leaned back on his sofa. "In theory it sounds rather fascinating, but that's all that it is. A theory. Elizabeth, I have research on my laptop showing the work I've been doing and there is nothing that has to do with any kind of Ancient technology. I'm sorry."

She forced a smile. "Don't be. I knew it was kind of a long shot anyway. Thank you," she said as she made her way to the door.

"Hey, listen, if you ever need anyone to talk to, don't hesitate. Your company was…nice. You don't know how rare it is to have an intelligent conversation with someone."

"I appreciate the offer. But if I really did create the last two years in my mind then it would probably be best not confuse me any further. Good luck, Rodney."

On the way home, she was fighting a battle in her mind. For the first time since she had woken up in the mental hospital, she was finally conceding defeat; Atlantis really was nothing more than a grand delusion.

It made sense really. The way her relationship with Simon ended; that he would leave her for someone else was easier to handle than to acknowledge the fact he was dead. Like Dr. Fletcher said, the Pegasus Galaxy was the furthest place her mind could go to escape the pain. She felt like a fool; two good men now thought she was a basket case.

It was nearly midnight by the time Elizabeth entered into her house. Her answering machine was blinking. She pushed the play button. "Dr. Weir, this is Dr. Baxton at Georgetown. We were hoping we could interest you in returning in the fall to teach your Political Science course. Please let us know as soon as possible. It would be great to have you back on staff."

Sighing, she went up stairs to the bathroom. Once again, she studied her face. "I am Elizabeth Weir and I am…a Professor at Georgetown University."


End file.
